Industry News PRNewswire | www.spiritaero.com/media-highlights/press-releases-and-statements Spirit AeroSystems Unveils Fabrication Center of Excellence

Spirit AeroSystems recently The expansion plans follows unveiled the first of two centers of Spirit AeroSystem’s announcement in excellence, focusing on the fabrication December 2017 that the company was of complex commercial and military adding 1,000 jobs at its facility. aircraft parts. The facility, located on The growth is fueled by a number of the company’s headquarters campus factors: increasing production rates on in Wichita, Kansas, will accommodate existing commercial aircraft programs, new work in the global aerostructures growth in Spirit’s Fabrication and market while also supporting current Defense businesses and other new customer contracts. business pursuits. The announcement Spirit AeroSystems' new Center of Excellence “We announced plans last year is located on the company's headquarters solidifies Spirit’s presence in Wichita to invest and grow our fabrication campus in Wichita, Kansas. and Kansas for decades to come. capabilities to $1 billion, and this new Five-Axis Center of Excellence in Wichita is a step in About Spirit AeroSystems achieving that goal,” said Spirit President and CEO Tom Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both Gentile. “New state-of-the-art machining in this facility commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in further solidifies Spirit’s fabrication and chemical processing Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France capability, and will enhance our ability to win new fabrication and Malaysia. The company’s core products include fuselages, work from both current and future customers.” pylons, nacelles and wing components for the world’s premier The purchase and installation of new equipment in the aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative 20,000 square-foot facility began in 2017, augmenting the composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support company’s existing capabilities as one of the world’s largest customers around the globe. More information is available at fabricators of parts. Spirit offers customers a wide www.spiritaero.com. l range of solutions including machining, skin and sheet metal fabrication and chemical processing. “Our investment in fabrication capabilities through these Center of Excellence expansions builds our global competitive advantage for fabrication work,” said Spirit Senior Vice President of Global Fabrication, Kevin Matthies. “The expansion in Wichita—and later this year in McAlester, —will allow us to be a true global leader in fabrication work with better quality and improved turn time.” The new Five-Axis Center of Excellence in Wichita will utilize high-speed technology to specialize in large, complex soft metal parts for fuselage, pylon and wing structures. Spirit’s fabrication capability spans more than 2.6 million square feet and produces more than 38,000 parts daily. The company leverages one of the largest automated lines in Spirit AeroSystems is a supplier to Sikorsy for the CH-53K the world to reliably offer high-volume and high-velocity helicopter. Sikorsky components are manufactured in the processing. company’s Wichita, Kansas facility.

16 The Shot Peener | Spring 2018